bowlby's monotropic theory

• bowlby suggested attatchment is an innate system to give a survival advantage
• whats the acronym for bowlbys monotropic theory


  ASCMI
• A?

  adaptive - more likely to survive if an infant has an attatchment to a caregiver because they're kept safe, warm and given food
• S?

  social releasers - unlock the innate tendency of adults to care for infants, a reciprocal process from both carer and baby
• C?

  critical period - have to form an attatchment during the 30 month period or the child will suffer irreversible, long term consequences:

  • cognitive, emotional, social

  later viewed as the sensitive period due to it being proven wrong (reversible)
• m?

  monotropy - the special intense attatchment with the mother, only after this is formed can they form multiple attatchments
• i?

  internal working model - future relationships and their ability to be a parent themselves will be based on their monotropy
• AO3 - schaffer evidence doesnt support + unclear

  schaffer 60 glasgow babies study = found that babies began to form multiple attatchments at around 10 months, not just the mother

  + it is unclear whether there is something special/unique about the first attatchment
• AO3 - supporting evidence for social releasers


  -observation of mothers and babies during their interactions and proved the existence of interactional synchrony and the importance of social releasers in eliciting caregiving
• AO3 - supporting evidence for internal working model


  99 mothers study - interviewed mothers about attatchments to their own mother and observed their babies attatchment to them

  = poor mother attatchments > poor baby attatchments
• AO3 - temperament + deterministic

  kagan's study found that a baby could be more anxious or sociable due to their temperament

  deterministic = not everyone with an unhappy childhood has unhappy adult relationships